Fallen Elgin Marine always wanted to serve others

A 21-year-old Elgin Marine who died Thursday in Afghanistan dreamed of becoming a police officer or firefighter some day, his older sister said Saturday.

Cpl. Alex Martinez, 21, a 2009 graduate of Larkin High School, was killed while conducting combat operations in the Helmand Province in Afghanistan, Defense Department officials said in a news release. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Martinez wanted to join the Marines since he was very young, following the example of his father, Enrique Martinez of Huntley, a longtime Navy reservist, and an aunt who served in the U.S. Army, said his sister, Jenny Martinez, 25, of Palatine.

“It made him want to be like them,” she said.

Alex Martinez grew up in Elgin with his mother, Socorro Martinez, and his stepfather, Jim Bethke. He was so passionate about joining the Marines that he worked hard to persuade his mother it was the right thing for him, Jenny Martinez said.

“He was still in high school when he was trying to enroll,” Jenny Martinez said. “My mom just didn't want to hear it at first. She didn't want to let him go, she refused to listen to the recruiter. He finally convinced her.”

His parents left early Saturday to retrieve his body from a military base in Delaware where they were to meet his wife, Julianna Martinez, also a graduate of Larkin High School, Jenny Martinez said.

Right after Alex Martinez turned 18 in December 2008, he took two momentous steps: he joined the Marines and he married Julianna, his high school sweetheart, Jenny Martinez said. He graduated high school in January 2009 and the couple moved to California, where they most recently lived in the town of Oceanside.

Alex had five more siblings: Eileen Bethke, 13, and James Bethke, 16, both of Elgin, Brandon Martinez, 18, of Wisconsin, and Nicholas Martinez, 16, and Ilyana Martinez, 2, of Huntley.

Religion was very important to Alex, who attended Life Changers International Church, Jenny Martinez said.

“Most of the time he just kept to himself,” she said. “He was a very relaxed person — he liked to have barbecues and relax with the family.”

Alex Martinez came home for a week after Christmas and spent New Year's with the family, Jenny Martinez said.

“It was perfect with him here. It had been a while since he was home closer to the holidays. He was afraid he wasn't going to make it this year, but we're glad he did,” she said.

His former teachers described him as quiet but always hardworking.

“He was in my class for only four months, but I do remember him — which speaks to the positive impression he made on me,” Larkin High School English teacher Liz Zuniga said. “This was a student who was very dedicated, very hardworking. Maybe a little bit on the reserved side but also very respectful.”

Sharon Freeman, a teacher at Harriet Gifford Elementary School in Elgin, said she last saw Alex Martinez about a year ago when he was home from his first deployment to Afghanistan. Alex was in her class in 2003, and later she taught his sister Eileen.

“Alex was very quiet, even to the point of being shy. He minded his own business and he had a very close-knit group of friends,” she said.

Freeman said her best memory of him stems from seeing Alex as a much more confident young man when came to pick up his little sister from school.

“It's just a wonderful family, very supportive of each other,” she said. “Very tight.”

Jenny Martinez said her brother wanted to join the police force or a fire department someday.

“He wanted to keep serving the community,” she said.

Funeral arrangements are pending, Jenny Martinez said.

Fallen: Marine determined to follow in footsteps of family members who served